Press

The Guardian

Missing, presumed dead: disappearance of Ukrainian journalist deepens media fears

Watchdog warns of official hostility towards journalists amid loss of TV station licences and mystery over fate of investigative reporter

On 11 August 2010, the investigative journalist Vasyl Klymentyev set off from his home in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city. It was 8.55am. As editor-in-chief of Kharkiv's Novy Stil (New Style) newspaper – a small publication known for unearthing juicy scandals about corrupt local officials – Klymentyev had many enemies and was rather cautious. He set the burglar alarm.

What happened next is a matter of speculation. The one fact everyone agrees on is that Klymentyev vanished. His family reported him missing the next day and Kharkiv police opened a murder inquiry. His friends are convinced he is dead, though so far there is no body. On 17 August a boy discovered his mobile phone and keys in a small rubber boat floating in a rural reservoir. Click here for more.